Last night, I was privileged to attend a dinner honoring fifteen state legislators for standing with working families. The California Labor Federation and State Building and Construction Trades Council sponsored the dinner as part of their annual Joint Legislative Conference.
Honored for their 100% labor voting record were State Senators Ellen Corbett, Christine Kehoe, Carol Migden, Darrell Steinberg, and Patricial Wiggins. Also honored were Assemblymembers Julia Brownley, Mark DeSaulnier, Mike Eng, Ed Hernandez, Dave Jones, Mark Leno, Fiona Ma, Ira Ruskin, Lori Saldaña, and Sandré Swanson.
OK, this will sound bizarre to all of you who believe in the stereotype of people in "The OC" speeding around in Hummers and Maseratis... But I often ride the bus here. That's why I'm now worrying about the bus workers' strike that started at 12:00 AM today.
I don't know what's happening to the buses that usually glide down Bristol Street just outside my house. I don't know if I can take the bus today to where I had been planning to go. I'm now wondering if my idea of being more eco-friendly by using mass transit was a stupid idea after all.
But more importantly, I'm worrying about all those hundreds of thousands of people who depend on the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) to get around. How do they get to work and to school and to the grocery store now? What the heck will happen to all these people?
I just knew this was coming. I knew it was coming. Get ready for another strike at a Vons, Ralphs, and/or Albertsons near you. (From LA Times)
Southern California grocery workers voted Sunday to give their union the right to strike if negotiations for a new contract fail. Union officials said the measure passed by an overwhelming 95%.
Contract talks between the United Food and Commercial Workers [UFCW] union and Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons over a new agreement for 65,000 workers from Bakersfield to the Mexican border broke off late last week. Sunday's strike authorization vote was set by the union after the grocery chains failed to meet a Thursday deadline for a formal offer.
So what exactly happened? Why couldn't an agreement be reached? What's at stake for the grocery companies? What's at stake for the grocery workers? And what happens next? Follow me after the flip for more...
"This bill needs to be simplified, it needs to be clarified, it needs to be rectified before I can support it," said [Senator Barbara] Boxer, D-Calif. "I don't think the bill is workable. I think it hurts American workers. The amendment process didn't make it any stronger for me.'
That was Senator Boxer quoted in today's Orange County Register story about how the Immigration Reform Bill has now been stalled in the US Senate. This piece of legislation was supposed to attract bipartisan support. But now, it's getting bipartisan criticism. And today, we saw a bipartisan rejection to moving this bill to a final vote.
So why are some Democrats now opposing this bill? Why the sudden progressive opposition to this "comprehensive" bill? Maybe it's because this bill is really only a "comprehensive solution" to a select few that seek to exploit many. And maybe it's because immigrant families and communities would suffer as a result.
Wal-Mart's destructive impact on communities is well- documented. Local competition is driven out, noise and traffic increases, and local governments and taxpayers get a raw deal.
Wal-Mart is planning to open a 170,000-sq. ft. supercenter at Chapman Avenue and Brookhurst Street in Garden Grove and the only thing standing in their way is the City Council.
Come help to keep a Wal-Mart Supercenter out of Garden Grove. We will be walking door to door to educate residents and build support for the Main Street Coalition. We hope to see you there!
So how can YOU support what's best for local small businesses and healthy communities in Southern California? Well, follow me after the flip for all the details...
So what is newly appointed Garden Grove City Council Member Steven Jones talking about, and why is everyone paying such close attention to it? And why is everyone looking at Garden Grove as if what happens in this town may change everything for working people in Orange County? Follow me after the flip for the answers, and much, much more...
I just got something in my email box from the Democratic Party of Orange County. And I guess since this is such a special event, I should share it with you. There will be a special screening of the eye-opening documentary, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price"...
And Co-producer Rick Jacobs, who also happens to chair the Courage Campaign, will be here to talk to us after the film about how Wal-Mart is affecting Orange County's economy and communities, as well as the entire rest of the nation.
Follow me after the flip for more on this special event...
